ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Braden John Karony, the former CEO of the cryptocurrency company SafeMoon, has requested a judge to postpone his criminal trial, seemingly hoping that the Trump administration's stance on digital assets could lead to at least one charge being dropped.In documents submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) on February 5, Karony requested that the federal judge delay the jury selection for his trial from March to April 2025, citing "significant changes" brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during President Trump's term. The legal team for the SafeMoon CEO referenced an executive order signed by Trump on January 23, which explored potential changes in U.S. digital asset regulation, as well as a statement from SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, which suggested that the commission would consider providing "retroactive relief" for certain cryptocurrency cases.It is currently unclear when Judge Eric Komitee will make a decision regarding Karony's request. In November 2023, U.S. authorities charged Karony, Kyle Nagy, and Thomas Smith of SafeMoon with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Karony was released on bail after paying $3 million in February 2024. Karony has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) postponed its decision on whether to approve BlackRock's listing and trading options for its spot Ethereum ETF on Friday. According to the submitted documents, the SEC stated that it will decide whether to approve or deny the options trading for BlackRock's iShares Ethereum Trust by April 9, 2025.The SEC stated: "The Commission believes that it is necessary to designate a longer period to issue an order approving or disapproving the proposed rule change in order to have sufficient time to consider the proposed rule change and the issues that it raises."Also on Friday, the SEC sought public comments on the proposal submitted by Cboe BZX Exchange on behalf of Fidelity to list and trade options on its spot Ethereum ETF. These comments must be submitted within 21 days after the publication in the Federal Register.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, former investigative journalist Jason Leopold has released a series of internal documents obtained from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) over the past six months. This batch of documents includes:Email correspondence records of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler;Several confidential letters sent by Tesla's legal team regarding the SEC's ongoing enforcement actions against Elon Musk;An investigation report on the hacking incident of the SEC's official X account;Relevant investigation documents regarding deepfake images appearing on the X platform and their impact on the market;Multiple reports from the Inspector General;Leopold stated that obtaining these documents involved a lengthy process, including regularly following up on the application status, negotiating with the agency, and narrowing the scope of the request, with some content still redacted. These documents will provide the public with important reference information about the internal workings of the SEC.

ChainCatcher news, Grayscale CEO Peter Mintzberg stated that the SEC's attention to new cryptocurrency ETP applications is a first for the industry, further confirming the commission's new stance on crypto assets.As Commissioner Hester Peirce said this week, "the journey has just begun." Mintzberg expressed that Grayscale looks forward to constructive dialogue with the SEC regarding the launch of products that investors are eager for.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Reuters, Franklin Templeton Investments announced on Thursday that the company is seeking regulatory approval to launch a new cryptocurrency index ETF, as the asset management firm hopes to profit from the cryptocurrency boom following a potential Trump victory in the U.S. presidential election.Franklin Templeton stated in a filing submitted to regulators on Thursday: "The fund may currently hold no digital assets other than Bitcoin and Ethereum. It is uncertain whether any digital assets other than Bitcoin and Ethereum will be added to the underlying index in the future." This provides Franklin Templeton with the flexibility to modify its ETF after obtaining SEC approval for other cryptocurrencies.

ChainCatcher news, Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart posted on X platform stating: "The SEC has accepted Grayscale's 19b-4 application for the Solana ETF. This is indeed noteworthy news, as the SEC rejected such attempts in the recent SOL application submissions. The deadline for this application is around October 11."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the SEC is considering a proposal to change BlackRock's spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund to allow for physical redemptions. In a document acknowledging the proposal released on Thursday, the SEC requested comments to be submitted within 21 days after the document is published in the Federal Register. The document states that the agency may then decide to approve, deny, or "initiate proceedings."According to the 19b-4 form filing, Nasdaq last month released a revised rule filing on behalf of BlackRock that allows for redemptions and physical creations of the iShares Bitcoin Trust.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seeking public comments on Grayscale's proposal to convert its Litecoin (LTC) trust into an ETF. In a document released on Thursday, the SEC acknowledged the application submitted by NYSE Arca on behalf of Grayscale and requested comments to be submitted within 21 days after publication in the Federal Register. The SEC may decide to approve, deny, or "initiate proceedings."Last month, NYSE Arca submitted a 19b-4 filing to apply for the conversion of the "Grayscale Litecoin Trust" and "Grayscale Solana Trust" into ETFs. The 19b-4 filing is the second part of a two-step process for proposing a spot cryptocurrency ETF. Once the SEC confirms the filing, it will be published in the Federal Register, initiating the agency's approval process.In recent weeks, several companies have submitted fund proposals based on other altcoins such as Dogecoin (DOGE), seemingly hoping that changes in SEC leadership may be more favorable for the approval of cryptocurrency ETFs.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reassigned its chief litigation counsel Jorge Tenreiro to the IT department responsible for maintaining the agency's computer systems. Tenreiro previously led six significant lawsuits against multiple cryptocurrency exchanges.At the same time, the SEC also adjusted the position of a lawyer involved in developing accounting guidelines for cryptocurrency custody. These guidelines had previously posed obstacles for banks providing cryptocurrency custody services to clients.

ChainCatcher News, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce introduced the tasks and goals of the newly established crypto working group, stating that the current 10 tasks of the working group include:Examining the status of different types of crypto assets under securities law,Helping to identify areas that fall outside the commission's jurisdiction,Considering recommending the commission take action to provide temporary forward-looking and retroactive relief for tokens or token offerings that provide certain specific information for issuing entities or other willing responsible entities,Suggesting the commission amend existing registration pathways,Exploring potential updates to no-action letters for special purpose broker-dealers,Collaborating with investment advisors to provide an appropriate regulatory framework,Clarifying whether securities law covers crypto lending and staking programs,Providing clear statements on the methods for approving or disapproving crypto ETFs,Planning to work at the intersection of cryptocurrency and clearinghouse and transfer agent rules,Promoting methods for cross-border sandboxes for crypto projects.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Reuters, two insiders revealed that the U.S. SEC is currently requiring its lawyers to obtain high-level approval before formally initiating an investigation. The new requirement stipulates that enforcement personnel must obtain permission from politically appointed commissioners before issuing subpoenas, requesting documents, and compelling testimony. Previously, staff had the authority to independently initiate formal investigations, while SEC commissioners oversaw the entire process.This change comes after a leadership shakeup at the SEC, including the departure of former Chair Gary Gensler and Democrat Jaime Lizárraga last month. President Trump appointed Mark Uyeda as acting chair, and the commission is currently composed of three commissioners: Uyeda, Hester Peirce, and Caroline Crenshaw.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Landon Zinda has resigned from his position as Policy Director at the cryptocurrency advocacy organization Coin Center to join the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cryptocurrency working group. In an announcement on February 4, SEC Acting Chair Mark Uyeda stated that Zinda has joined the commission as a senior advisor to the cryptocurrency working group. The former Coin Center director will work alongside Chief of Staff Richard Gabbert and Chief Policy Advisor Taylor Asher in the group led by Commissioner Hester Peirce.Coin Center's Communications Director Neeraj Agrawal confirmed that Zinda "is no longer an employee of the organization." As of February 4, his name still appeared on Coin Center's website, and his LinkedIn profile indicated that he had been working at the advocacy organization since March 2023.The cryptocurrency working group was announced on January 21, with the aim of "helping the commission delineate clear regulatory boundaries, providing practical registration pathways, developing reasonable disclosure frameworks, and prudently deploying enforcement resources." The SEC stated that the group would coordinate with other federal agencies, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. SEC has launched a new cryptocurrency working group website. According to the webpage, the cryptocurrency working group aims to clarify the application of federal securities laws in the cryptocurrency market and propose practical policy measures designed to promote innovation and protect investors. The working group collaborates with committee staff and the public to help develop new approaches to the regulation of cryptocurrency assets.The cryptocurrency working group will undertake a series of priority tasks, led by Republican Commissioner Hester Peirce, and will focus on distinguishing which "cryptocurrency assets" are considered securities, potentially changing the way companies register, and providing clear statements when approving or disapproving exchange-traded products.The working group will help delineate clear regulatory boundaries, appropriately distinguish between securities and non-securities, develop a tailored disclosure framework, provide practical registration pathways for cryptocurrency assets and market intermediaries, ensure that investors have the information needed to make investment decisions, and ensure that enforcement resources are deployed wisely.

ChainCatcher news, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas posted on X: "The U.S. SEC is downsizing its cryptocurrency enforcement division.According to an article published by The New York Times, some of the personnel originally dedicated to enforcement actions are being reassigned from a special department consisting of 50 lawyers and staff."

ChainCatcher news, according to sources, the Republican-led committee of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is intensifying oversight of the formal investigation into the SEC.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune, since Trump's election, several companies have submitted numerous cryptocurrency ETF applications, including Solana, Dogecoin, and Litecoin, and the cryptocurrency asset management company Grayscale has also applied for an XRP exchange-traded fund.However, Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart warned not to be overly optimistic at this time, although he believes that the XRP ETF could potentially be approved in 2025, other cryptocurrencies' ETFs may come first. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is currently involved in a lawsuit regarding "whether XRP is a security," and the SEC has never classified Litecoin as a security, so it would not be surprising to see a Litecoin ETF appear first.